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In Case You Missed It:

In Brief: Alzheimer's drug proves ineffective for delirium

As many as 80% of patients admitted to intensive care units
develop delirium, a condition that involves confusion and rapid
mental changes (such as alternating between lethargy and
agitation). Delirium worsens prognosis and increases the amount
of time patients spend in the hospital. Moreover, there's little
evidence to show that the standard drug treatment for delirium —
antipsychotics or benzodiazepines to control agitation — does any
good.

Preliminary research suggested that cholinesterase inhibitors,
normally prescribed for patients with Alzheimer's disease, might
improve mental functioning in patients with delirium. However,
the first large randomized controlled study testing one of these
drugs, rivastigmine (Exelon), found that the drug not only
worsened delirium in critically ill patients, but also extended
hospital stays. Investigators stopped the trial early because
they also found that more patients died while taking rivastigmine
than while taking a placebo.

Unfortunately, this means that there is no apparent medication
"fix" for delirium. However, there are steps that clinicians can
take to prevent delirium in some people, and to manage it when it
does occur.

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Daily Health Tip

Food before supplements

Eat healthy foods instead of turning to a multivitamin. Recent studies have shown that the benefits of multivitamins are negligible. If you choose to take a multivitamin "for insurance," don't go overboard. Too much of vitamin A, vitamin E, and others can be harmful.